Metallic rolling shutter



J. C. RAPER METALLIC ROLLING SHUTTER Filed Nov. 4, 1926 2 Sheets-Sheet lINVENTORI April 24, 1928.

April 24, 1928. 1,667,081

' J. C. RAPER METALLIC ROLLING SHUTTER Filed Nov. 4. 1926 2 Sheets-Sheet2 Patented Apr. 24, 1928.

"' 'f'JosEPH cf intuit on CQVINGTON, KENTUCKY.

METALLIC ROLLING SHUTTER.-

Application filed November 4,. 1926. :SeriaI No. 146,271. v

This invention relates to metallic rolling shutters, and, moreparticularly, to the release or trip devices used in connection-withmetallic, self-winding and-spring-controlled,

rolling firedoors or shutters for buildings,

whereby any undue increase in temperature in the building to afire-danger stage serves to dissolve or actuate thermostatic-insertsthat normally hold together the vreleaseniechanism that comes intoaction and 0p erates automatically when ithe said thermostatic-insertsbecome actuated and the weight of the said the doors or shutterscauses'them to theninstantly drop into closing-position in the doorwayor other opening they are provided to protect. V I The so-called Kicker.release or trip device herein is oneof very material simplicity andaccuracy or certainty in structure and action, and its details will befully hereinafter described in connection with the accompanying severalsheets of drawings, in ;which I 1 1 Figure l is a horizontalaxial-section of the self-winding roller and: automatic-release devicesshowing the spring-roller broken off and with-:myYi-nvention herein inits-normal state ready for emergency action';- Fig. 2, aninsideelevation of my release device, along the parting of the sectionalcasing or shell thereof, the inner 'mountingend of the trip weightcarrier arm being shown 1n section on'the outer end of- 1 the transverserelease-shaft; Fig. 3, a sectional elevation of my improvedautomaticrelease device, taken-on the dotted line 3, .3,

' of'Fig. Zand including a broken-off portioncarrier arm; of the-afore--of the aforesald trip weight, "Fig; 45, alongitudinalelevation said tripweight-carrier arm, show ng its mounting-shaft in cross section andwith, a

short length of the ch'a in of the release def vic'es used. insupportingv the said weight arm, awaitingany undue-heat actuat ng a ingor parting the. latter for .the instant;

/ position; Fig. 5,

thermostatic insert in said chain and sever- Y droppingof-theweighuarmand the accomp'anying0'r consequent release of thespringlroller for the simultaneous.

to be mounted for use; Fig. "6, "aleft-hand end View of Fig. '55 Fig. 7,a'rearedge elevation of the gravitatmg pawl dropping of the; fire dooror shutter into closing protective l H a longitudinal elevation of the.tripcarrier sleeveon whose'outerend the said weight-arm is ponent partofmy improved automatic-release device herein;fFig. 8, a side elevationof the said PtlWlgSBBIllIl Fig. 7; Fig. 9, a fore-edge View of saidpawl; and Fig 10, .fragmentary longitudinal section of the ends of theduly connected slatted members of the fire-door,the latter not beingdeemed necessary to display herein. In this View (Fig. 1) I alsoshow'an-improvedor quite universal form of self-Winding and springcontrolledroHer-mechanism-,Q that has at its left-hand end a hubbed coupler-disk.,D

vada tedv for cosenga'gement jwith a like 'hub ed; coupler-disk Eby-mea'ns ofthe conmeeting-bolts F. -A, two-part shaft Gextendsoutwardly from the left end of the said roller, beyond thecoupler-diskE, and pins a and b are respectively used in the hubs of thedisks D. and E for fastening them on the said shaft Grand thus unitingthe two parts of the latter in: proper aligned relation. I y

H'indicates, taken'as'a whole, acasingfor housing that has a hub-member11 bushed at 12 on the outer member or section of the said shaft G andincontactwwith the outer end of the hub h on the diskiEn j A bevel gear-13 is -mounted .onthe said outer member of said twopart shaft G with.-in the expanded chamber-portion '14 of the hub-member 11, andthe extremeouter end extends rearwardly vto form a casing or chamber J foraccommodating an auxiliary,

horizontal, lateralshaft lti on whose outer 1 end is mounted abevelpinion17 that .is of lesser diameter than that of the saidcompanion gear. 13 with which it, meshes'for fuse in winding thespringroller and controlling the same. I The said pinion 17 has a hub'17 and apinl'Z for 'securingit on the sjaijdauxi 'liary shaft 16.. 1

Orificed lugs or ear-sac, '0, are provided on the plate Ifortherecefption of the bolts or screws (not shown) used in fasteningthe so-called Kicker, devices herein on the roller-shutter box or casingfor instant emer gency use in the event of'threatene'd dangerous fire in.the' premises where the shutter is located; 7 J

ing the friction and unnecessary thickness of the said auxiliary shaftin the surrounding sleeve and, otherwise, further providing for the freeand easy, independent rocking movement of the sleeve that carries at itsinner end a so-called Kicker arm 24, the latter having a lateralstriking or thrusting crank arm or lug 25, as best seen in Figs. 2, 3and 5.

The extreme end 26 of said outer end of the shaft 16 issquare incross-section for the convenient use of a hand-crank in turning theshaft forward when winding the springroller through the medium of thegears 13 and 17.

The outer end of the sleeve 20 is flatfaced at 27 and adjacentlyshouldered at 27 for the rigid stop reception of the single squareWalled orifice 28 at the innerend of the arm 29 that carries a weight 30on its upper edge, as best seen in Figs. 2, 3 and 4.

A section of chain 31, ordinarily used in the automatic-release devicesof tire-shutters, is shown in Fig. 4 at the outer end'of the saidweight-arm 29. A washer 32 and cotter'pin 33 are used in the said outerend of I the shaft 16 to hold the weight-arm 29 in removable placethereon, as best seen in Figs. 1 and 2.

A ratchet-wheel 34 that has a hub 35 is mounted on the auxiliary shaft16 and secured in place by means of a pin36, as best seen in Figs. 2and'3, with one face in contact with the inner Kicker end of the sleeve20 and with the end of the hub 35 in contact with the slightlyprojecting end of the bushing in the partition 19 of the chamber J toreduce friction as much as possible and still avoid undue looseness orplay on the ratchet part of the auxiliary shaft 16,

and, also, to maintain or preserve the proper alignment of the saidratchet for accurate and dependable duty in connection with a swingingpawl 37 whose mounting-hub 38 has a free gravitating bearing on the pin39, the latter being in the nature of a short shaft that has a threadedinner end 40 for removable-mounting in the said partition 19 and theouter wall 41, and the outer end of such short shaft or screw-pin 39protruding slightly beyond said wall 21 for ready insertion of ascrew-driver in a crossslot (dotted at 42 in Fig. 2) when the pin 39 isto be inserted or removed. A spacertubing 43 is provided on thescrew-pin 39 for preventing endwise-play of the swinging-pawl hub 38 andto thereby preserve or maintainthe proper alignment of the said pawl 38in due operative relation to the ratchet 34 and the crank-arm 25 of thesaid Kicker arm 24, all as best seen in Fig. 2. The pawl 38 has ashoulder 44 in its inner edge for the successive engagement of the teethof the ratchet 34,and the lower flat end 45 of the said pawl is of amplearea to receive any and all of the thrusts'of the tapered end 46 of thecrank-arm 25 of the socalled Kicker 24when the release devices arebrought. into action by the automatic severing of the thermostatic chainelement 31, occasioned by undue heat conditions. The outer edge of thepawl'38 is convexrounded and thus well adapted to impinge or strikeagainstthe short rib or lug 47 that projects from the inner face of the.

-wall I of chamber J and thereby forms a back-stop to limit. therearward movement or play of the said pawl away from the zoning edge ofthe circular path of the teeth of the ratchet 34 when the Kicker has Itwill be observed that the pawl 38 is in A normal active engagement withthe ratchet 34 when the shutter is in Wound condition on thespring-roller and that when the chain 31 has become severed or parted,by the automatic thermostatic action of undue heat, on its fusible linkor links, the gravitating heft of the rocker weight-arm 29, at'the outerend of the rock-sleeve 20, instantly. and simultaneously causes theso-called Kicker at the inner end of the rock-sleeve 20 to advancetoward the lower flat end 45 of the pawl 38 and strike with a sharp anddecisive blow or thrust, whereby the pawl is simultaneously releasedfrom holding or detaining engagement with the ratchet 34 and theconsequent simultaneous automatic-release of the auxiliary shaft 16whose pinion 17 engaged with the gear 13 has normally held the springroller and the shutter in regularduly wound condition preparatory tosaid undue heat controlling and abnormal conditions necessitating thedropping of the roller-shutter in the opening itis designed to close andprotect against damaging fire position under the heft of thechain-renaled, a transverseauxiliary shaft having miter gear connectionwith said roller shaft in said receptacle, a ratchet wheel mounted toturn with said auxiliary shaft, in said receptacle, a rock sleeveconcentrically mounted on the said auxiliary shaft and extending beyondthe said receptacle, a strikearm at the inner end of said rock sleeveand vertically below the said ratchet wheel, a swinging or gravitatingpawl mounted on a shaft that lies parallel to said auxiliary shaft inthe receptacle and with said pawl sus- Jended in ali nment with saidstrike-arm a. l 7

weighted arm extending from the outer end of said rock-sleeve andadapted to more posi tively or effectively hold a notched or shoulderedpart of said pawl in'engagement with the respective teeth of saidratchet-wheel as well as to impart striking-heft adapted to cause saidstrike-arm to impart a quick and decisive blow to said pawl when therelease mechanism herein has been brought into action, and athermostatic frangible chain ex- 7 tending from the outer end of saidweighted arm to a roller door or shutter mounting for automatic partingaction when dangerous fire heat conditions occur in the openin that isto be closed and protected by said door, substantially as shown anddescribed.

2. In a device of the character described, the combination with aspring-wound shutter-roller having a longitudinally aligned and extendedshaft of two disk-connected members, a release-mechanism box or recep- 1tacle .in which the said shaft is journaled, a transverse auxiliaryshaft having miter-gear connection with the said roller-shaft in saidreceptacle, a ratchet-wheel rigidly mounted on said auxiliary shaft andto turn there with, a rock-sleeve of larger diameter than said auxiliaryshaft on which it is concentrically mounted with bush-bearings intervening and extending outwardly at one end beyond the said receptacle, anarm extending downwardly from the inner end of said rock-sleeve andadjacent the said ratchet-wheel and having a lateral strike arm at itslower end thatprojects in a line beneath the said ratchet-wheel, agravitating pawl mounted to freely swing on ashort shaft located insaidreceptacle and parallel to said sleeve and auxiliary shaft and with thesaid pawl suspended in rear alignment with the said lateral strike arm,a shoulder or notch in the edge of said pawl facin the ratchet-wheelwith which the teeth 0 the latter may successively engage, a weightedarm extending from the outer e-nd of said rock-sleeve, a stop-lug on theinner face of the receptacle for limiting the rear movement ofthc saidpawl, and a frangible thermostatic-controlled chain adapted to connectthe outer end of said weighted arm with aroller-shuttermounting devicein the 0 ening or doorway to be protected by the s utter in tireemergency, substantially as shown and described. i

In testimony whereof I have hereunto affixed my signature. I

JOSEPH o. RAPER.

